Sooooooooo, this is REALLLLLLY late, but wutevz...
I taught about the International Day of Peace way back in September (the official day is Sept.21 -- happy b-day mom!), but am just now getting around to posting it!
I started with a definition of peace ("Peace is a time of security and tranquility that exists when there is no fighting or war, all coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom."). Then I explained what The International Day of Peace celebrates and it's history (InternationalDayOfPeace.org).
From there i showed and explained different symbols of peace from around the world, starting, of course with The Peace Corps' logo and my role as a PCV.
Upon researching different peace symbols, i learned a few things myself, like where the shape of the most recognized peace symbol comes from. It was a logo designed for the UK campaign for nuclear disarmament, in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, and adopted by anti-war and counterculture in the United States and elsewhere.
The symbol is a combination of the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D," standing for "nuclear disarmament". In semaphore the letter "N" is formed by a person holding two flags in an inverted "V," and the letter "D" is formed by holding one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down. Superimposing these two signs forms the shape of the center of the peace symbol.
"V" is for "Victory". That's how this famous hand gesture got started. It was used to represent victory during WWII. In the '60s, anti-war protesters adopted it to represent peace from the Vietnam War. Both uses represent the desire for the end of war.
The olive branch represents the restoration of peace. The dove from Noah's Ark brought back an olive branch, which showed that The Flood was receding, and therefore, God's wrath subsiding, bringing peace back to earth.
The dove is what brought the olive branch back to The Ark. Commonly the dove and olive branch are symbolized together, with the dove carrying the olive branch in it's beak.
The Roerich Emblem - I had never seen this symbol before, but thought it appropriate for Moldovans because it was designed by a Russian cultural activist, Nicholas Roerich, who used it as the emblem for his movement to protect cultural artifacts.
In 1935 a pact initiated by Roerich was signed by the United States and Latin American nations, agreeing that "historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational and cultural institutions" should be protected both in times of peace and war.
Roerich described the circle as representing the totality of culture, with the three dots being Art, Science, and Religion, three of the most embracing of human cultural activities. He also described the circle as representing the eternity of time, encompassing the past, present, and future.
The Peace Flag - The international peace flag in the colors of the rainbow was first used in Italy on a 1961 peace march from Perugia to Assisi organised by the pacifist and social philosopher Aldo Capitini.
The flag commonly has seven rainbow-colored stripes with the word "Peace" in the center. It has been explained as follows:
In the account of the Great Flood, God set the rainbow to a seal the alliance with man and nature, promising that there will never be another Flood over the whole earth. The rainbow thus became a symbol of Peace across the earth and the sky, and, by extension, among all men.
Then for homework, the kids drew their own peace symbols.
Our classroom Wall of Peace! :o]
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